The challenges of bilingual reporting and writing
A few weeks ago, when I fact checked a story in German for the Swiss SonntagsZeitung, I faced a problem: Most sources were American, so I had done most of my reporting in English; but to fact check, I...
View ArticleYou Sent Out A Pitch. Congratulations! Now What?
Work was slow, and I was feeling a little panicky. When would the next assignment come in? Tempted to keep staring at my inbox while hyperventilating, I decided instead to take matters into my own...
View ArticleFriday snapshot: Postcard from the Edge
Inspired by Hannah Hoag’s (bio) “Setting Goals for Your Best Year Ever” post, I’m doing it. I’m actually going to set a specific goal this year. For eleven years, I’ve splashed around, somewhat...
View ArticleFurther and other dated cultural references
“At times the campaign can look, sound, and smell more like Ken Kesey’s bus than a congressional race.” The sentence, written by Karl Taro Greenfeld in a recent issue of Bloomberg Businessweek, jumped...
View ArticleAn experimental Beacon: Crowd-funding “Flux”
Freelance journalists exist in a state of flux. Newspapers fold. Favorite editors switch jobs. Or the hot, new online outlet shifts its focus. The only way to survive is to have several projects...
View ArticleBigger than a breadbox: Size comparisons in science writing
A while back, Susan Moran (bio) was working on a rewrite and found herself referencing a 2-million-square-mile swath of something. “How big is that, really?” she wondered. She wanted to compare it to...
View ArticleRedux Post: Organizing Your Work and Life
The PlannerPad. SciLancer Helen Fields’ lowtech time management tool helps her get more things done. Editors note: Today is a good day to revisit a post about the importance of organizing your work and...
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